1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suction muffler for a compressor, and more particularly, to a suction muffler for a compressor capable of reducing noise more effectively using refrigerant expanding in an expansion chamber and resonating in a resonance chamber.
2. Prior Art
Generally, a compressor used in a refrigerator and an air conditioner is an apparatus for drawing gaseous refrigerant of a low temperature and pressure and compressing it into a high temperature and pressure.
The compressor comprises, as shown in FIG. 1, an airtight casing 1 for closing the inner space thereof, a motor 2 comprised of a stator 2a, a rotor 2b and a rotational shaft 2c, a cylinder block 6 installed under the motor 2, a piston 5 moving forward and backward in a cylinder chamber 6a formed by the cylinder block 6, a cylinder head 8 installed in front of the cylinder block 6, a valve assembly 7 installed between the cylinder block 6 and the cylinder head 8, a suction muffler 10 through which the refrigerant from an evaporator (not shown) flows into the cylinder chamber 6a, and a crank shaft 3 and connecting rod 4 for converting the rotational power of the motor 2 to the motion of the piston 5.
As the piston 5 is driven by the motor 2, the refrigerant from the evaporator is drawn into the cylinder chamber 6a through the suction muffler 10, the cylinder head 8, and the valve assembly 7. The refrigerant drawn into the cylinder chamber 6a is compressed by the piston 5, and the compressed refrigerant is discharged toward a condenser (not shown) through the valve assembly 7 and the cylinder head 8.
The detailed construction of the suction muffler 10 is as follows.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the suction muffler 10. The reference numeral 11 designates the body of the suction muffler 10. The upper part of the body 11 is covered by a cover 12, and a base 13 is assembled with the lower part of the body 11. A baffle 14 having a communication pipe 14a is installed in the body 11. The base 13 has a pair of suction pipes 13a facing the communication pipe 14a of the baffle 14. The lower ends of the respective suction pipes 13a are connected to a suction chamber (not shown) of the cylinder head 8. A suction tube 9a connected with the evaporator is installed on the upper part of the body 11.
The refrigerant from the evaporator flows into the body 11 through the suction tube 9a. The refrigerant flowing into the body 11 is drawn into the suction chamber of the cylinder head 8 through the communication pipe 14a of the baffle 14 and the suction pipe 13a installed in the base 13. The refrigerant drawn into the suction chamber of the cylinder head 8 is drawn into the cylinder chamber 6a through a suction port of the valve assembly 7 while the piston 5 is moving toward the bottom dead center. Then, the refrigerant in the cylinder chamber 6a is compressed while the piston 5 is moving toward the top dead center, and the compressed refrigerant is discharged toward the condenser (not shown) through a discharge port of the valve assembly and a discharge chamber of the cylinder head 8. In FIG. 2, the reference numeral 9b which has not been illustrated is a discharge tube connecting the discharge chamber of the cylinder head 8 to the condenser.
However, in a conventional compressor having the above-described construction, the suction muffler 10 has the construction that the refrigerant flowing into the body 11 through the suction tube 9a is directly drawn into the cylinder chamber 6a through the suction pipes 13a, which is aimed to reduce the volume thereof. Accordingly, the suction load while the refrigerant is being drawn is great, so great noise may be generated by the pulsation of pressure.
Moreover, since the conventional suction muffler is comprised of many components, noise may leak through gaps between components.